Police: Masked Men Carved Anti-Gay Slurs Into Nebraska Woman's Body
An openly lesbian Nebraska woman appears to have been the target of a horrific hate crime which took place inside her own Lincoln home.
According to the victim, three masked men broke into her home yesterday morning and tied her up with zip ties. They then proceeded to carve the word "dyke" into her skin and spray painted "we found u dyke" on her basement wall.
"They put gasoline on the floor and they lit the match. I think the intent was to burn her," said close friend Erin Thompson. "Then they left and she managed to get out. She was still bound, so she was crawling on her hands and knees, and she got out the back door."
The unnamed woman, who was naked and bleeding, managed to make her way to her to the home of neighbor Linda Rappl. "I was in shock," Rappl told CNN. "She was naked, her hands were tied with zip ties. All I could see was a cut across her forehead and blood running down."
Rappl covered the sobbing woman up and phoned 911.
Lincoln Police have no suspects, but said the incident, which has been classified as a hate crime, is still under investigation.
Mayor Chris Beutler released a statement today calling hate crimes "despicable and appalling," and vowing that the city's police force with do all in its power to "ensure that justice is done."
Lincoln's LGBT community responded en masse to the shocking assault, with hundreds attending an impromptu vigil last night in solidarity with the victim.
"Our hearts go out to the victim, her family and close friends. Many in our community are understandably experiencing a great deal of sadness, anger and confusion," said Tyler Richard, president of the LGBT support group Outlinc. "We look to our entire community to pull together in this difficult time."
Advocate group Star City Pride has launched a victim recovery fund which is collecting money to help the victim's "physical recovery and her overall healing."
According to Rappl, the woman was treated at the hospital before being released to an emergency shelter where she is currently residing.
